Category: ACM Faculty and Staff

During this weekend’s Norman Music Festival in Norman, more than three dozen music acts will feature students, alumni, faculty and staff from the University of Central Oklahoma and the Academy of Contemporary Music at UCO.

NMF runs April 25-27 along Main Street in downtown Norman. Admission is free and open to the public. Event headliners include Beach Fossils, Soccer Mommy, Black Milk with band Nat Turner, The Garden, Omar Apollo, Night Beats, Skating Polly, Mega Ran and more over three days on multiple indoor and outdoor stages.

Spearheaded by Oklahoma native Zac Maloy, the Oklahoma Songwriter’s Festival is a multi-day event that serves as an invaluable opportunity for local songwriters, musicians, music fans and anyone working in or interested in the music industry.

The fourth annual Oklahoma Songwriters Festival, co-presented by Grand Casino Hotel & Resort and the Oklahoma Film + Music Office (OF+MO) and sponsored in part by The Academy of Contemporary Music at the University of Central Oklahoma (ACM@UCO), happens Friday and Saturday, April 12-13, with a ticketed Friday evening dinner, a Saturday morning Songwriting Camp and the state’s one-of-a-kind musical roundtable, The Songwriter Showcase, on Saturday evening.

The Oklahoma Songwriters Festival was created in 2016 by Ada native Zac Maloy, singer and songwriter for The Nixons (an Oklahoma-based rock band that rose to fame in the 1990s) in an effort to highlight songwriters and the art of songwriting. Each year, Maloy returns home from Nashville, Tennessee, to Oklahoma for the festival, inviting award-winning Music City songwriters to perform and write alongside local musicians.

“Each year, our songwriters are not only so candid and genuine in sharing their talents on our stage, but it’s their day-to-day work ethic and passion for the field that strengthens this genre year over year, making for a better show each time,” Maloy said. “Here we are at year four and I honestly believe this is the strongest collective lineup we have ever had.”

Songwriting Camp, 11 a.m. Saturday
Castle Row Studios, Del City

For the third year, the festival will include a Songwriting Camp, presented by the Oklahoma Film + Music Office, 11 a.m. Saturday at Castle Row Studios, 2908 Epperly Drive, in Del City.

This workshop includes an interactive panel discussion and Q&A with songwriters. A one-on-one mentoring session with both Maloy and Nashville songwriter Marcus Hummon also will be awarded to two attendees.

Songwriter Showcase, 7 p.m. Saturday
Tower Theatre, Oklahoma City

The festival concludes with its annual Songwriter Showcase, happening at the iconic Tower Theatre that Saturday evening. The Showcase begins at 7 p.m. with a presentation format frequently used in Nashville, called a “writer round.”

This event starts with a local round, with the main event featuring Nashville songwriters singing the hits they’ve penned and telling the stories behind the music.

Along with Maloy, this year’s Nashville-based songwriters include Oklahoma native Brett James, ASCAP’s 2010 Country Songwriter of the Year (credits include Carrie Underwood’s “Jesus, Take the Wheel” and more); Tulsa-born David Hodges, former member of Evanescence (credits include Evanescence’s “Bring Me To Life” and more); and Marcus Hummon, dubbed Nashville’s Renaissance Man (credits include Rascal Flatts’ “Bless The Broken Road” and more).

NOTE: Saturday evening’s Songwriter Showcase is a ticketed event. Students can use the OSFSTUDENT discount code to receive 50 percent off, making general admission only $8!

“The Oklahoma Film + Music Office values the opportunity to be a returning partner with the Oklahoma Songwriters Festival,” said OF+MO Director Tava Maloy Sofsky. “Our state’s musical legacy and cultivating the next generation of Oklahoma talent are very important to us. This festival opens doors for local and regional songwriters — seasoned and aspiring talent — to network and build relationships with some of Nashville’s most prolific songwriters.”

The Academy of Contemporary Music at the University of Central Oklahoma (ACM@UCO) salutes Wanda Jackson — First Lady of Rock, Queen of Rockabilly and lifelong Oklahoma champion — and her powerful and influential career!

Head out to Stillwater to watch quirky independent psychedelic rock act colourmusic perform a free, live concert in their home town! The show is scheduled to begin at 5 p.m. Friday, March 15, at District Bicycles, 120 W. Seventh Ave. in Stillwater.

The performance is also part of Stillwater’s annual Land Run 100 event, happening Friday and Saturday across Stillwater.

While there, you can learn more about the Academy of Contemporary Music at the University of Central Oklahoma. A booth is set up all day Friday near the District Bicycles stage.

Selected musicians will perform for the Oklahoma Stage Rush music series, which happens on the festival’s outdoor and indoor stages Saturday, May 11. The outdoor stage will accommodate solo acts up to a full band, while the indoor stage will host acoustic solo and duo acts as well as instrumental-only artists.

Made in Oklahoma Fest brings cultural activities, events and agricultural vendors to one destination offering guests the opportunity to discover, sip, taste and relax in a fun-filled atmosphere. The festival features an array of Made in Oklahoma products and services from wineries, breweries, artists, merchants, restaurants, food trucks and more. Guests can also enjoy an open car, truck and motorcycle show as well as join in on exciting classes and competitions.

In 2018, more than 5,000 people attended the festival and that number is on the rise as the “going local” trend continues to grow.

The Oklahoma Stage Rush series showcases the homegrown talent produced by Oklahoma artists and provides bands an opportunity to gain exposure, network with business owners and sample the fine wine, beer and food items that Oklahoma has to offer. For more information about the festival, visit madeinoklahomafest.com.

WHY SHOULD YOU APPLY?

The selected musicians receive:
• Financial compensation
• Benefits package including tokens and hotel discounts
• Exposure to targeted audience
• Social media promotion
• One of your original songs placed on a download drop card to be distributed as promotion for the fesitval
• Feature in OF+MO eblasts with reach of over 4,800
• Feature in OF+MO monthly newsletter with reach of over 6,500
• Promotion on the Made in Oklahoma Fest website
• Promotion in the Made in Oklahoma Fest digital advertisements and print material
• Promotion on the radio and other media websites

DETAILS

Originality
Made in Oklahoma Fest is an event that celebrates and promotes music that was created (made) in Oklahoma by original Oklahoma artists. We ask that 80 percent of a band’s set be comprised of original music.

Genre
The outdoor stage will ONLY promote genres such as new country, old country, Americana, Red Dirt, rockabilly, pop, soft rock, moderate rock and indie rock.

The indoor stage is in a large ballroom filled with vendors so soft music is most appropriate. This includes instrumental, light vocals, folk, Americana and Celtic. No percussions are allowed.

Proximity
Bands from across the state will be considered for this event. You do not have to be from Midwest City or the Oklahoma City area to apply.

ADDITIONAL OPPORTUNITIES THROUGH OF+MO

To have your event(s) listed in our online events calendar, please send the following information to Katie.Lovasz@TravelOK.com.
• Your Name/Band’s Name
• Date/Time
• Venue and address
• Link to the event
• Description/Bio
• Cost
• Image (if you have one)
• Tell us about your new albums
• Do you have a new album coming out? Send the release date and any associated show information (see above) to Katie.Lovasz@TravelOK.com.

COOL SIDE NOTE: Craig Alvin, who moved from Oklahoma to Nashville, Tennessee, to work with musicians, also mixed Oklahoma rock act colourmusic‘s first two albums: “F, Monday, Orange, February, Venus, Lunatic, 1 or 13” and “My ____ is pink.” He’s credited as assistant engineer on the band’s 2014 release “May You Marry Rich.”

This Valentine’s Day, Oklahoma singer-songwriter and musician Rozlyn Zora proves that love is indeed what you choose to make of it. On Feb. 14, she’ll release her new single, “Speechless,” as she embarks on a spring-fling string of shows she’s calling the Makeup//Breakup Mini-Tour.

Zora, from Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, is a senior studying production and technology application at ACM@UCO in Oklahoma City. She said she’s long had the goal to release a new song every Valentine’s Day, and the Feb. 14 release of “Speechless” marks her first milestone in achieving it.

The acoustic guitar-driven, lyrically emotive ballad soars with support of ACM graduate Heather Becker on piano and Oklahoma State University student Demetri Tsaras on bass. Zora’s lyrical style on the tune has been compared to Sara Bareilles — a high compliment, to be sure, she said.

“The chorus came to me in a dream,” Zora said. “Charming love songs are my weakness. After I released ‘Love’ in January of 2017, I’ve longed to release a song on Valentine’s Day, and ‘Speechless’ is that dream child.”

“Speechless” was tracked and mixed by ACM@UCO music production and engineering student and student worker Stuart Adams in the school’s second floor-studio. It was mastered by ACM@UCO full-time lecturer and studio manager Kevin Lively (Rage Against the Machine, Pink, Elton John).

To celebrate the recording, Zora announced the quickie, three-date Makeup//Breakup Mini-Tour, in which she and participating bands fill their setlists with love/hate songs.

“The tour runs three days,” Zora said, then laughed. Zora and Mandias (Shawnee, Oklahoma, resident, ACM student and indie folk-rock musician Kate Carmichael) lead the lineup. Special guests round out the show at each show.

Zora’s first stop is a free concert 10 p.m. Feb. 14 at the Rabbit Hole, 116 S. Elgin Ave. in Tulsa, where she performs with Oklahoma City singer-songwriter Mandias and featured guest Lauryn Hardiman. The next night, she cruises through Norman for a 6:30 p.m. Feb. 15 gig with Mandias and UCO-based rock act Useless Randy at Red Brick Bar, 311 E. Main St. in Norman.

On Feb. 16, Zora swings through Bentonville, Arkansas, to perform at the popular Bike Rack Brewing Co.’s Eighth Street Brewery and Tap Room, 801 SE Eighth St., Suite 61. There, she shares the stage with Mandias, Useless Randy and Fayetteville, Arkansas, indie-alternative act Makin Loaf starting at 8 p.m. Tickets for that show are $10 at the door and eventbrite.com.

In a multi-act event promoting storytelling and its various forms, the Academy of Contemporary Music at the University of Central Oklahoma (ACM@UCO) presents Literati Variety Show, 7 p.m. Feb. 9 at ACM@UCO Performance Lab, 329 E. Sheridan Ave., in Oklahoma City. Admission is free.

“This is a celebration of storytelling as entertainment as well as a force to give meaning to life,” Martin said. “We are uniting artists from all mediums — music, poetry, comedy, anyone with a good story and the wherewithal to tell it well.”

The Feb. 9 event is presented by ACM@UCO as part of its Metro Music Series celebrating the school’s 10th anniversary.

Martin hosts the show, where he’ll introduce a music and literary pairing by hip-hop act Original Flow and The Fervent Route; a conversation with George Lang, editor-in-chief of Oklahoma Gazette; Heath Huffman, Public Access comedian of note; authors Holly Sampson Hall and Jeremy Hall with a performance reading of “The Most Wonderful Wonder”; and Molly O’Connor, founder of OKC StorySlam.

The show is co-organized by longtime local artist, Oklahoma City Arts Commissioner and Istvan Art owner and manager Stephen Kovash. Speaking recently to Oklahoma Gazette, Kovash said one of his goals with this show is to establish a new artistic family in the metro.

“Things are starting to coalesce in terms of Oklahoma writers,” he told the Gazette. “And so I think what Charles is doing here is perfect timing. … There’s hunger for ideas, and there’s pent-up demand, but there’s also a supply that’s pent-up. So maybe if we can get those people together, it’s going to explode.”

ACM@UCO’s Metro Music Series is sponsored by Oklahoma Gazette, Exchange Music, KOSU Radio, Love’s Travel Stops & Country Stores, and the Oklahoma Arts Council, which receives support from the State of Oklahoma and the National Endowment for the Arts’ Art Works initiative.

About the Performers

Molly O’Connor:O’Connor is an Oklahoma City-based multi-disciplinary artist and cultural worker. Her creative and artistic practices include visual art, creative writing, original solo performance work and storytelling. In 2005, O’Connor founded OKC StorySlam, a monthly, competitive open-mic storytelling event influenced by “The Moth Radio Hour” and podcast.

Holly Sampson Hall and Jeremy Hall:Holly Samson Hall and Jeremy Hall write and perform dark folk music as Welcome Little Stranger. Creators of “The Most Wonderful Wonder” podcast, the Halls explore tragedy, folklore and strange, true tales from the back pages of American history.

Heath Huffman:Huffman is a stand-up comic born and raised in Oklahoma City. He tells jokes that highlight the absurdity of working out, the quirkiness of his religious upbringing and the peculiar world of cheap Italian food. He also hosts two podcasts — Christian music review show “The Praisedown” with Heath and Alex, and comic book narration show “Paneled,” both of which some people (not him) think are very good.

George Lang:Lang is a journalist who has worked for Oklahoma Gazette multiple times since 1994. He returned as its editor-in-chief in 2017. In the interim, he also wrote for The Oklahoman. While there, he became its assistant entertainment editor, interviewing about 95 percent of film industry’s A-listers and hosting an award-winning video series about local musicians, “Static.” He hosts “Spy 101” radio show 8 p.m. Saturdays on The Spy (KOSU) and he teaches at ACM@UCO.

Original Flow and The Fervent Route:
Oklahoma City-based music act Original Flow & The Fervent Route mixes high-octane lyrical content with live instrumentation and old-school hip-hop delivery. It also includes ACM@UCO alumni.

About ACM@UCO Metro Music Series

The 2018-2019 school year marks ACM@UCO’s tenth anniversary. To celebrate, it expanded its long-running Metro Music Festival into a yearlong event. The revamped Metro Music Series includes the High Noon Showcase, presenting free shows by ACM@UCO-tied music acts and tastemakers; its ACM@UCO Performance Lab series by regional and national touring acts; and a growing roster of masterclasses, clinics and workshops with industry leaders, many of which are open to students and the public.

Longtime Oklahoma musician JD McPherson hosted a masterclass Oct. 26, 2018, to a capacity audience at ACM@UCO Performance Lab in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The third-annual Music Networking and Mentoring Event was made possible by a partnership with The Academy of Contemporary Music at the University of Central Oklahoma’s Metro Music Series and the Oklahoma Film + Music Office.

About ACM@UCO Metro Music Series

The 2018-2019 school year marks ACM@UCO’s tenth anniversary. To celebrate, it expanded its long-running Metro Music Festival into a yearlong event. The revamped Metro Music Series includes the High Noon Showcase, presenting free shows by ACM@UCO-tied music acts and tastemakers; its ACM@UCO Performance Lab series by regional and national touring acts; and a growing roster of masterclasses, clinics and workshops with industry leaders, many of which are open to students and the public.

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